Can you build a game system based entirely on non-combat mechanics that still carries core TTRPG design concepts, that will continue being pacifist when running other people's campaigns (so to speak)? Definitely.

Can you build a pacifist open sourced game framework where people can't write their own combat mechanics into the codebase in their implementation? No, of course not, you can't control other people's server code.

@InspectorCaracal@zatnosk I remember one pet-critter-collecting videogame in development that replaced combat with dance-offs. Replaced HP with confidence points. I wish I could remember the name. Starts with O, I think

@InspectorCaracal Oh, right. You have a point there. But everything but the combat just feels so impotent in that model. Probably because I'm most used to D&D where combat "contests" are "do I hit and damage with my weapon" and every other contest is "I want to do something, do I succeed?".

@InspectorCaracal I don't know why I mentioned pokemon, either. It's combat mechanics where nobody dies?I think it was a reaction to your earlier toot:> randomly ____ing monsters for loot with loose plot justifications and just fill in the blank with a verb that isn't "kill"

@zatnosk Right, because they focused on combat. So you apply that idea of progress on a cgoal - the reduction of HP to zero, in combat - with a different progress meter. Then you focus on skills and actions targetted towards that type of challenge and progress meter.